The star of the sci-fi sequel also says that its set pieces will "knock people out of their seats"

Chris Pine has described the new Star Trek film as a “small character-driven story”.

The currently untitled sequel has been directed by JJ Abrams, who successfully rebooted the sci-fi franchise with 2009’s Star Trek.

Pine will reprise his role as Captain James T Kirk, while Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg will return as Spock and Scotty respectively. Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch also has a key role, rumoured to be a villain.

The film features several scenes shot with IMAX cameras – the resolution-enhancing technology that Abrams used on last year’s Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

In an interview published on Collider.com, Pine praised Abrams and his creative team for making sure that viewers will feel emotionally involved during the film’s action sequences.

“What they’re really, really good at and what sets them apart is that they know how to do the action, and they know that if you don’t give them the small character-driven drama, you can blow up anything you want and no one cares. People will leave the theatre because we’ve all seen it, a million ways.

“With the second [film], people will find that it’s just the mythic structure, done really well. The character journeys are just perfect mythic structures. They do it so well. The journeys with the characters will be really great, and the explosions and set pieces are going to knock people out of their seats.”